Iranian Navy Rescues Philippine Freighter in Gulf of Oman

Iranian Navy rescued a Philippine freighter hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Oman.

The Philippine ship, named Rosita, with 23 crews on board was attacked by pirates while heading from India to Qatar, but the Iranian forces managed to release the ship.

The high-speed boats of the pirates attacked the Philippine vessel in the Gulf of Oman were made to flee with the arrival of the unit of Iranian Navy in charge of maritime patrol.

In the latest development, an attempt by pirates to hijack a Panamanian ship was thwarted following the timely action of the Iranian fleet of warships present in the region.

Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.

According to UN Security Council resolutions, different countries can dispatch warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia to battle pirates. The warships can enter the territorial waters of that country in pursuit of Somali sea pirates with prior notice to Somali government.

The Gulf of Aden -- which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea -- is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West through the Suez Canal.